


SASO 2016 Short Fills

by adamantine



Category: Free!
Genre: F/F, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-29
Updated: 2016-07-21
Packaged: 2018-07-10 21:33:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7008970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adamantine/pseuds/adamantine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I'm just going to dump all the short (~400~600 words probably) fills I do for SASO 2016 here.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prompt: Remember the first time Rin and Haru raced?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided to do a mix of what happened in the book and what happened in the anime, lol.

Nanase Haruka didn’t care about winning. He joined Iwatobi Swimming Club because Makoto wanted him to. He kept going to it because it turned out he liked being in the water. It wasn’t swimming per se, he was fond of, it was water. The only reason he went to competitions was because he qualified for them. He couldn’t help that he was such a good swimmer.  
  
Haruka ground his teeth in irritation. He didn’t care about winning but there was something about Matsuoka Rin that pushed his buttons, even when Haruka beat him. Every moment he overtook Haruka, even if it lasted for only a few seconds, pissed him off. He couldn’t explain why. It had been like since their first race a few months back. If Haruka was being truthful he usually didn’t even pay attention to the other swimmers in the pool. When he swam he was in his own little world. He liked it that way.  
  
But then Matsuoka happened. Haruka’s usual bubble of isolation had been pierced by his loud presence in the water. _Here I am_ , he seemed to scream with his every stroke, _notice me_. Haruka could feel the exact moment Matsuoka passed him. A surge of anger shot through him. Who did this kid think he was? Haruka pushed himself, a first in his life, to overtake him. He felt an ugly surge of triumph when he won, and then promptly shoved it down because since when did he care about winning? He didn’t.  
  
That’s when he saw Matsuoka on the floor, his chest heaving, like he was crying. _Annoying_ , thought Haruka. What was the point of crying after such a meaningless race? He wanted to put Matsuoka out his mind.  
  
Matsuoka looked up, as if sensing Haruka’s thoughts. _Red eyes._ He wasn’t crying anymore. Haruka couldn’t look away.  
  
“Congratulations, Haru-chan! You were amazing.” He turned, the spell Matsuoka had casted over him broken, to see Makoto beaming at him.  
  
“Who was that?” he asked.  
  
“Matsuoka Rin from Sano Swimming Club.” It was just like Makoto to know everyone’s names, and to know exactly who Haruka meant in that moment.  
  
“Hmm.” He committed the name to memory. _Matsuoka Rin._ It wasn’t as if he had planned on paying special attention to him after that. He just wanted to remember the name of the boy that had annoyed him so much, both in the water and out of it. It was probably just a fluke that Haruka had noticed his swimming in the first place.  
  
That was what he told himself at least, what he kept telling himself even as the months passed and he still couldn’t stop thinking about Matsuoka Rin.


	2. Prompt: That One Wedding Pillow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [You know exactly what pillow I'm talking about.](http://sportsanime.dreamwidth.org/13854.html?thread=4999198#cmt4999198)

“Close your eyes,” said a cheerful female voice.

Rin obediently shut his eyes and braced himself for the onslaught of hairspray that was about to come. He didn’t use the stuff himself, but by now he was more than used to it being blasted all over his hair whenever he did a photoshoot or media appearance.

“All done!” his stylist for the day said, her smile wide when he opened his eyes.

Over the years Rin had done dozens of ad campaigns and endorsements. They were his main source of income as swimming, shockingly enough, did not pay well. It was a strange way to make money at times. The endorsements for sports drinks, goggles, swimsuits, etc. made sense sense to him — it was all the other things he couldn’t believe. Why pick him, an Olympian swimmer, to endorse a new flavor of Kit Kats or the latest smartphone? Why did some marketing strategist choose him, of all people, to plaster all over their new toilet paper line? It seemed ridiculous to think anyone was swayed by his image to buy some of the products he’d endorsed, but who was he to complain? Money was money and he didn’t mind where it came from as long as it wasn’t anything _too_ out there.

Today’s ad campaign at least was one of the less weird ones, if baffling in the way all non-sports related campaigns were. A certain famous jewelry company had hired a few famous athletes, four women and four men, for their new wedding ring line. It was the fanciest ad campaign Rin had ever been involved in.

“Wow.” Rin stared at his reflection. He couldn’t remember a time he’d ever been this dressed up. The tuxedo they’d shoved him in cost more than his rent for the year. He didn’t even want to know how money the wedding dresses the women were wearing cost.

“Like it?”

“It’s…” he trailed off, not sure of how to respond. His hair was pushed back in a way he’d never be able to recreate by himself. It looked good — _he_ looked good — but there was something off about his reflection. He stared at himself some more, trying to figure it out. _Blue._ There was too much blue. Blue wasn’t his color, it was more of—

“Rin?” Haru’s voice called out, as if summoned by his thoughts.

“Yeah? What is—“ The words died in his throat. They’d shoved Haru in the exact same outfit as Rin but the result, in his totally unbiased opinion, was completely different. The blues brought out his eyes; his skin, tanned from swimming outdoors, looked perfect against the dark blue of the tuxedo. His hair had been arranged perfectly, not a single strand out of place. He was unbearably, devastatingly, handsome. For the first time, Rin understood an ad campaign. In that moment, he would have bought anything Haru peddled at him.

“Rin?” Haru’s face was worried; even that expression looked beautiful on him.

“Uh, yeah,” Rin struggled to speak, “What?”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah? Yeah. I’m great. What’s up?” His face was warm. He was blushing, _he was blushing_ , from seeing Haru. They were dating for God's sake. He’d seen Haru in all manner of outfits, terrible and fashionable and everything in between. Not to mention he’d seen Haru naked hundreds—no, thousands, of times. _Why was he blushing?_

“They asked me to check if you’re ready yet.” Haru looked him up and down, scrutinizing him.

“He’s all set,” said Rin’s stylist.

“Good,” said Haru. “Let’s go then.” He held out his hand and Rin took it without thinking. He instantly felt better. Holding hands with Haru was something familiar.

Haru dragged him down the empty hallway.

“Wait,” said Rin. Haru stopped but didn’t let go of his hand. “I just wanted to tell you, before we join everyone else. You look amazing.”

Haru blushed and mumbled something.

“Hmm? What was that?” Rin asked, always ready to pounce when he sensed Haru was embarrassed.

“I said, that’s my line.” He looked terribly frustrated, in the cutest way imaginable.

“Blue suits you more,” Rin said. Their bodies unconsciously leaned into each other.

“Blue suits you plenty.” Haru glanced down at his lips.

“I’d kiss you, but it might ruin my makeup.” Their faces were so close he could feel Haru’s breath.

“Too bad.” Haru closed the space between them. It was a chaste kiss, but they both lingered in place, neither of them wanting to be the first to break away. Finally, Haru did.

“What would you wear then?” Haru asked. Rin could still feel Haru’s lips.

“To what?” Rin asked.

“To our… your wedding. Since you don’t like blue.”

The question caught him off guard. “I-I don’t know. White maybe?”

“How romantic.”

“How’s that romantic?”

Haru shrugged.

“What about you? Would you wear blue to our… your wedding?”

“White for me too. I’d want to wear something that matched the groom.” His eyes twinkled. “Come on, we’ll be late,” he said and started walking again.

Rin followed after him, skipping for the first few steps without noticing.


	3. Prompt: Birthday Flowers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The prompt was:
> 
> Package: a floral delivery with a thick envelope attached  
> To: Haru ♡  
> From: Rin  
> Note: Happy Birthday ♡

“And you wanted the carnations, right?”

 _Smack, smack, smack._ The sound of gum being chewed filled the entire flower shop. Rin fought the urge to cover his ears.

“Not the carnations. The birthday bouquet. With the roses.” There was a sign on the flower shop window for the bouquet. Rin had passed by it dozens of times on the way to the gym.

“Of course. The birthday bouquet,” said Yoshiko, the peppy gum chewing shop assistant, “Which one were you looking into? We have type A, type B, type C, and type D.” She gestured wildly at four different place in the store; it was impossible to tell which bouquets she meant.

“Which one has roses?” Rin asked through clenched teeth. He regretted entering the shop, regretted his idea to order Haru a bouquet for his birthday. He could have just stolen some roses from someone instead. It would have been easier.

“Type C and D!” Yoshiko blew a bubble. It popped, loudly.

“Type C then.” He glanced at the corner of the room Type C was in and spotted a pretty bouquet of blue delphiniums and pink roses. _Not bad._ He wouldn't have expected the two flowers to go together but they did.

“Terrific! And you said you wanted to make the card out to your girlfriend Haru-san, right?” 

Rin cringed at her assumption, but he didn’t feel like correcting her. “Right.”

He paid for delivery, double checking that Yoshiko had written the date and address right, and then made his way back to practice.

✿

“It’s delicious.” Haru smiled as he ate the birthday breakfast Rin had made. It wasn’t anything special — a little rice, a little mackerel, a little miso — but Rin felt proud anyway.

The buzzer to their apartment went off.

“I’ll get it,” Haru said.

“No, you stay here. It’s your birthday.”

When Rin opened the door, he almost screamed. The bouquet the delivery man was holding had exactly one rose. It was red, dead center in the bouquet. The rest of the bouquet was made up of what Rin could only guess was every flower the shop hadn’t been able to sell that week. The prettiest flower was a wilting orange carnation. The ugliest one was something he later learned was a passion flower. Several succulents dotted the bouquet, which Rin didn’t even count as flowers.

“I can explain,” Rin said when he returned to the kitchen.

“Explain what?”

“The bouquet. There must have been some kind of mix—” Rin stopped talking when he saw Haru’s face light up. Rin blinked, wondering if he was seeing things. Haru looked...happy? No, he looked _thrilled_.

“Rin, they’re beautiful.” He was positively beaming.

“They are? I mean, yeah. I thought you might like them.”

“Thank you, Rin.” Haru took the bouquet from Rin’s hands and hummed an old love song as he went and found them a vase. Rin stood there gawking, wondering, not for the first time, if he would ever understand Haru’s tastes.


	4. Prompt: Matching Pink Cat Ears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The prompt was:
> 
> Package: Set of fluffy pink cat ears  
> To: Rin  
> From: Haruka  
> Note: It's a matching set.

“Do you need help putting the cat ears on?” Haru's face was the picture of innocence, but Rin knew better.

“I can put them on myself,” he snapped. He shoved the bright pink cat ears on top of his head, the matching set to the ones Haru was currently wearing. Unlike Rin, he seemed to find nothing embarrassing about the situation.

Haru’s mouth twitched upward. “They suit you.”

“How the hell do they suit me?” It wasn't as if they'd been specially picked out for him. They were pink because the mascot cat for the animal shelter was pink. Haru had gotten wind of the the fact that the shelter was doing a charity calendar for the next year and had volunteered himself and Rin to be in it.

“They’re your color.” Haru’s mouth twitched again; he let out a small breath of air. Rin's blood pressure skyrocketed. The bastard was laughing at him.

“ _Red_ is my color. This is pink.” He pointed at the ears on his head in anger.

“Isn’t pink just light red?” Haru countered.

“Don’t be such a smartass.”

Haru’s mouth tilted up into a smirk.

“Your ears are crooked. Let me fix them.” He stepped forward to stand face to face with Rin.

“Hey—what are you—”

Haru reached out and pulled off the headband the ears were attached to. He combed his fingers through Rin’s hair. His actions were gentle; it had a soothing effect on Rin. His scalp tingled. His eyelids fluttered.

Haru reattached the cat ears. “There.” Haru’s eyes met his. He bit his bottom lip.

“Sorry about the wait. The photographer is ready now.” The shelter’s owner walked into the room, ruining the mood.

☆

“Say ‘nyan~!’” the photographer said.

“Nyan,” Haru deadpanned. The black kitten in his arms made a small mewling sound.

“You too, Matsuoka-san,” the shelter owner said.

“Nya...” Rin wanted to die. The only reason he hadn’t run out of the shelter in mortification was because of the tiny white kitten in his lap. Its name was Yukimaru and Rin wanted to adopt it, never mind that he wasn’t sure if their apartment allowed pets.

“That‘s not very enthusiastic sounding,” said Haru.

”You're one to talk,” Rin snapped back. It was unfair. No one seemed to care if Haru sat there with a blank expression, but Rin? He couldn’t get away with anything.

“Nyan~!” Rin made paw motions with his hands.

“That’s perfect!” The shelter owner clapped her hands together.

Haru let out a snicker.

“Jerk,” Rin muttered under his breath so that only Haru could hear him.

“I wonder if they’ll let us keep the cat ears,” Haru said, his voice low, “You’d look great wearing them with nothing else on.”

“You’re such a perv.” He refused to react to Haru’s words.

Haru wasn’t the least bit offended by his accusation. “I have the best idea. I won’t let you come tonight until you say ‘nyan’ for me.”

Rin felt a blush creep across his face. “Keep this up and you’ll sleep alone tonight.”

Haru was unperturbed by his threat. “We’ll see about that.”

Rin ignored him, trying his best to drive out the images Haru had put into his head. He was definitely not going to say “nyan” for Haru. Ever. No way. Forget about it. It was absurd. It was ridiculous. 

Maybe once. But that was it. He would indulge Haru one time.

He nodded to himself, satisfied with his decision.


	5. Prompt: Tutti Frutti by New Order, genderswap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Actual prompt here.](http://sportsanime.dreamwidth.org/15224.html?thread=6953592&posted=1#cmt7294840)
> 
> (Please note they're both girls in this fic)

Haruka trips over the roots of a tree that have stretched out into the hiking trail. She stumbles, almost falling.

“Careful,” Rin says, catching her.

“Thanks.”

Rin’s hold on her is tight, fingernails boring into her skin, but Haruka doesn’t mind.

Rin lets her go.

“Come on, we’re almost there.”

Where there is, Haruka doesn’t know. The only information Rin has given her is that she discovered the spot while jogging one day. From that description Haruka expected it to be near beach but instead it’s on a hill a good distance from Samezuka. Knowing Rin jogged up this hill on a typical morning jog makes Haruka feel lazy for jogging a straight path down the beach. Maybe she’ll stop jogging on the boardwalk and jog on the sand instead. She’s read somewhere it builds endurance.

The trail starts to level out; they’re no longer ascending. The trees are too thick for Haruka to see where the edge of the hill is.

Without warning, Rin grabs her hand.

“Follow me,” she says, pulling Haruka into trees, away from the trail they’ve been on. Her grip is strong, her steps sure. She walks ahead of Haruka. Her shoulder blades are perfectly outlined against her tank top. Haruka is mesmerized by them.

“Ta-da!”

Rin has brought them to clearing near the edge of the hill. From  where they stand the entire coastline is visible, but that’s not what Haruka’s eyes are drawn to first. Instead she watches the way the setting sun shines on Rin, bathing her in a beautiful red-orange light. The color is made for her.

“Isn’t it beautiful?”

“Yes.” Haruka answers before she looks at the view below.

“I came here one morning and it took my breath away. I had to bring you here. I thought it would look even more beautiful at sunset.”

Haruka nods. There’s something lodged in her throat—possibly her heart.

The water has taken on that same red-orange glow as Rin. The sky is a mess of colors: reds and blues, pinks and yellows; the beauty of it is overwhelming, but not as overwhelming as knowing Rin saw this view and thought of her—wanted to share it with  _ her _ . Rin is always doing this, always wanting to bring her to new places, always expanding her world.

“Thank you for bringing me here.”

A light breeze picks up; Rin’s hair fans around her face, a halo of red.

Haruka kisses her. Their fingers intertwine. Haruka never wants to let her go.

“You’re welcome?” Rin quirks an eyebrow and giggles.

Haruka kisses her again.


End file.
